Domination
by Lynniethe7th
Summary: A Sneasel named Jay and a Marill called Brooke travel across a destroyed Johto region left in ruins by a human war years prior, striving to evolve into their final forms. They assist in a resistance to quell a threatening Pokemon invasion from Kanto in whatever ways possible before their own ways of life are eliminated. This is a rewrite of my previous story, Reign of the Nomads.
1. Chapter 1

The lush spring forest was teeming with life as it had always been. The sun had risen over the eastern horizon to illuminate the trees with its dominating yellow light. Within the forestry, creatures stirred groggily as usual, their cries and songs beginning to resound in the cool, calm air. The Pokémon, magical creatures that had once been admired and worshiped by humans, had now taken back control of the earth, leaving the human world behind them. Within the forest, a worn, cracked road aligned with crumbling, rusted shells of cars invaded the forest, seeming to be a constant remainder of the world that had once been. The Pokémon disregarded these small remnants of human civilization, carrying on with their routine businesses as accustomed.

Two foreign Pokémon, Jay and Brooke, followed the weed-stricken human road northbound, the two Pokémon observing the Sentret, Pidgey, Spearow, and the occasional invasive Pokémon such as Purlion and Eevee wondering about, searching for the morning's meal. Jay and Brooke received a few attentive glances as the two Pokémon trotted up the road, for a Sneasel and Marill were neither natives to the habitat nor invasive Pokémon that had been descendants of those that humans had once selected as their partners and pets.

Jay and Brooke had proceeded causally up the road, as dozens of pairs of eyes were fixed on the two, the Pokémon in the forest concerned of having their eggs or berries stolen by the invaders. Jay and the Marill remained in the middle of the road, signifying that they would provide no quarrels with the scores of Pokémon that outnumbered the two in strength and intelligence.

Jay was an angered Sneasel, a typical teal color, the only difference being he had white spotted on the tips of his pink head and tail feathers, which distinguished him from the rest of his kind, like most other Pokémon. The refugee was cast away from his cold, yet comfortable Mt. Silver home that he had shared with his clan. His homeland was in turmoil, for invading Pokémon had been attacking the area for weeks, their paws desiring blood to be spilled. However, Jay was young, and he would prove useless to his clan. He would end up like his deceased sister, her body hidden somewhere in a crevice, with no clan member to give her a proper burial. As much as Jay desired revenge, his efforts would reign futile unless he gained power and intellect, and those traits were found few and far between. Most Pokémon possessed only one asset or the other. So there he was, a nomadic Pokémon, his hopes set on finding a lone Razor Claw to at least give him the strength he needed to recoil and defeat those that were at that very moment, killing his family.

Brooke on the other hand, a tiny blue Marill, with a shrunken white spot on her belly, did not have as tragic as a past as her companion. She was a native to the water's edge, and she did not venture far from her comfort zone from the fear of such lore her parents addressed to her about, like monstrous Pokémon twenty feet long, soul-sapping Ghost-types, and even the possibility of greeting a possessive, selfish human that traveled to survive. Despite the tales, Brooke had intense wanderlust, and she wanted to view the chaotic world for herself, instead of being fed stories her parents dreamt up to keep her at home. When Jay was traveling, he discovered the little Marill, her will to explore the world intense and dominating. With disregard to her parent's pleadings, the newly formed duo scouted about the Johto region, both eager to train themselves, evolve, and be their best for whatever the world would throw their way.

The twosome had been journeying northward from a crippled human village known as Cherrygrove, heading towards a city that was known to have beautiful violet buildings. Jay had been told by Pokémon at the beginning of his travels that human towns and cities were bound to have leftovers of the products of their civilization, and Jay concluded he could find his precious Razor Claw in the ruins. All that he and Brooke did find was the human buildings dilapidated, rotting, or scattered about the terrain, with occasional undesired items that no human or Pokémon had claimed. Pokémon old enough to remember the days of the humans' rule often told the postwar Pokémon that the best contents of the towns and cities were already collected, and all other items were now expired and unfit for use. However, Jay thought he would eventually would get his lucky break somewhere, whether it be in a city or on an old human route.

Considering this, the two Pokémon stuck to the road, and Jay occasionally poked around in the human vehicles, hoping he would find an interesting item inside the strange contraptions. He nor Brooke knew what the cars were or what they were used for, other than the fact that they were made of metal and had padded material inside. Until the end of his days, Jay couldn't ever conceive how life with the humans could have been.

The entire day the duo traveled up the road, attempting to remain civil with the locals, and going in the forest from time to time to fetch food, sometimes disturbing the natives and stirring up a fight. Every time, Brooke and Jay ran, for they were in unfamiliar territory and lacked strength to fix a proper brawl. It was a wonder how neither of the two got lost, but Jay was a swell navigator of the land, and his skill often got the two out of sticky situations.

By the time the two would stop venturing, it was far past the sunset, which caused the majority of the Pokémon to crawl into their barrows and sleep for the night. Others would begin their nighttime activates, but this particular forest had few nocturnal Pokémon. To escape the dangers that were present upon the ground, Jay hoisted Brooke onto his back, and he climbed up a leafy tree, his long, sharp claws allowing him to have excellent footing in the bark. They climbed out on a longer limb, surveyed the area for any suspecting hazards, and they began to talk quietly and casually.

"How's the area sound?" Jay inquired to Brooke, who leaned up against the center of the tree.

Brooke's ears rotated, her radar dish ears spinning for any unwelcome noises. "Some distant disruption, I reckon."

"Heh, probably just a fight between two nighttime natives. Don't fret over it." Jay lay on the tree branch, the smooth bark at his back. He stroked his head feathers as his eyelids fell slowly in preparation for sleep. The night air was cool, but it would have been a bit more enjoyable if the air was a few degrees colder for him.

"Jay, don't you remember what the locals been saying? They think Mt. Silver's been breached!"

Jay bolted upright, shoving his claws into the tree limb to prevent a seven-foot fall. Jay stared at Brooke critically, as if she had gone mad. "Now, these locals don't know anything…"

"Have you been deaf for the past few days? The natives have been scurrying around more than usual, didn't you notice? Then you wondered why they are so upset when we took their share of food!" Brooke turned towards the east, where the sounds had originated. It definitely was a fight, and it sounded bitter and violent. Fighting at night was not Brooke's forte, and Jay wasn't that great of a warrior in general, even if he could perceive anything lurking in the darkness.

Jay gave a weak response to put Brooke at ease. All that Jay wanted to do now was sleep. "Mt. Silver's almost impassable since the Pokémon are invading from Kanto. At least that was the case when I was there." Jay simply fell to the branch, and he closed his eyes to relax.

Brooke approached her nonchalant friend, and she hoisted him up from his reclining position on the branch. "Jay, it's getting louder. It's going to get here!"

The teal Pokémon glanced around gradually, and he observed a few daytime members of the forest stirring, despite the fact that it was absolutely black outside. The only light that drenched the forest emanated from the half-full moon, and its light barely filtered thought the leaves. These Pokémon would not be active unless they were in danger, and finally Jay lost his indifference.

"So what do we do? Running will attract more attention to us." His response was earnest and abrupt, for he heard the same disturbances that Brooke had heard a few minutes ago. Old fallen leaves and grass on the ground rustled as several Pokémon quickly headed towards the west, most rushing like they were being stalked.

Brooke surveyed the distance from the tree limb to the ground. "Is there a cave or water nearby? We can hide in it."

Jay stood up and grabbed Brooke, and then he extended his claws to scrape the bark of the tree to slow their descent. Once they were firmly on the ground, Jay gave his opinions about the matters at hand. "No, if we are being attacked, those Pokémon are going to look there first. We better…" Jay rubbed his forehead, pinching it faintly, trying to concoct a hasty solution.

"Find a low area and hope we're undiscovered?" Brooke mentioned as she heard the flapping of large, powerful wings approaching. The Pokémon must have been plotting the area to pick out anyone it saw declining defeat.

Lacking anything better to say, Jay agreed with his blue friend and he scouted through the forestry for any low-lying area. The forest declined him any such areas, and when he did find some, they were too shallow to provide a place to remain hidden from Flying Pokémon. The duo began to resort to an option Jay had just rejected doing; they ran. The hearts of the two Pokémon palpitated out of fear and stress as they raced along the sides of the locals. Ten minutes ago, all had been utterly fine with the world, and everything had proceeded as normal. Now, something cataclysmic had occurred. Pokémon shouldn't need to travel this extensive to obtain territory, and Jay, Brooke, and every other Pokémon in the forest could conclude that this wasn't a natural event. Something was gravely wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where exactly are we going?" Brooke yelped as Jay took hold of her spherical body to make their getaway faster. The fast native from Johto's well-known mountain may have disregarded most of the lore that came from the mouths of the locals, but he did not abstain from leading his ears whenever they stated their whereabouts. Lore was fictional in most situations to Jay, while location was almost absolute, unless it was an alleged place such as the great beyond or the underworld. The residents had uttered whispered suggestions out of concern for their welfare of relocating to a village where several stronger Pokémon had resided for the protection of the young and immature.

"Jay! They're _so_ close! Jay! Please! Where are we going?" Brooke's speech was uneven and insecure, like as if she had been trembling out in the cold. Jay felt his smaller comrade quivering, and he heighted his pace further than before. Jay evaded the multiple trees in the way, almost feeling sorry for the slower and less fortunate Pokémon that he had been breezing by. At this point, he didn't even know what enemies he was dashing from, or what even happened to instill these happenings so suddenly. He didn't care about that at the present, for he cared about the safety of Brooke and himself more than anything. He never answered his friend's calls, for he was too focused and out of breath to avert his thoughts to other matters. Going to the Pokémon village was his only sanctuary.

Brooke peered over the shoulder of Jay for a brief moment as she clung to his form. Jay heaved and puffed out air to an acute degree, and he focused on nothing but what lay before him. About a hundred feet behind the twosome, Brooke began to visualize large, daunting bodies equipped with vast wings expertly flying though the numerous trees as if they were nothing but minute nuisances. They picked up several fleeing Pokémon along the way, often those that were taller than a foot, and Brooke's brain began to swim as she realized Jay stood about two and a half feet off the near-level landscape. She panicked and screamed out, "They're right behind us!"

Jay took a moment's glance over the shoulder that his accomplice had not been glued to, and he almost choked out a cry himself as he saw the Pokémon he had been bolting from. Jay swore he saw a burly and brutal Salamence accompanied by an agile and massive Crobat in tow behind the dragon. The two Pokémon fired attacks and picked up random Pokémon tall enough to be caught in their grasps. The poor residents were tossed from the two powerful Pokémon, their victims fainting whenever they fell forcefully to come in contact with a tree or the hard earth. If Jay had time to think, he may have been able to drum up an Ice-type attack towards the two pursuers, but the thought hadn't even crossed his mind.

"Jay! _Dive_! "Brooke hollered, their foes ready to claim him as well as Brooke as their next victims.

Jay dodged one last tree before proceeding to commence the action. He fell to the ground as if he had tripped, and he sandwiched Brooke between his body and the leaf-littered terrain of the earth. He thought that he had crushed her from the abrupt impact, but Brooke stated that she was only a bit sore from the contact. Meanwhile, the two flying Pokémon passed the duo, convinced they had stricken their targets provided their massive wingspans, and they carried on, venturing further to the west. Jay and Brooke remained motionless as they heard the chatter of more enemies pass them, all of which seemed to be flying Pokémon. After a minute of everlasting silence, Jay picked up his head slowly and gingerly, first glancing ahead of him, then to the right, proceeding then to the left, and finally behind him. The forest seemed almost as calm as before the rush and danger was introduced upon every being within the wooded area. Other Pokémon that were not as lucky as he or his friend were littered here and there over the landscape, as if they had been utter trash to the hostiles that had flew through the area. Some were conscious, subjected to the pain of the attacks, and they received aid from those that managed to avoid the brunt of the occurrence to tend the wounded.

Brooke nuzzled out of Jay's grasp to observe the scene, both Pokémon were too awestruck to comprehend exactly what had happened. They shook their heads in disgust, unable to attain a grain of a thought for why the powerful Pokémon that passed thought the area needed to cause such agony towards the residents. This had never occurred before at a level this broad.

The twosome journeyed westward, almost robotically in their actions, peering from side to side, seeing many Pokémon that needed help. Although Jay and Brooke were two of the unscathed, the area needed much more help than the two Pokémon could ever provide. It hurt the two to neglect the moaning and upset Pokémon.

Brooke still heard the sounds of the despicable Pokémon in the distance, but they seemed held up. The noise was not radiating further into the distance, but it remained rather stationary. What had happened?

"There's a town up there," Jay mumbled suddenly, "with a good amount of strong Pokémon."

"How do you know?" Brooke inquired as the two walked towards the west.

"The locals. They said there's a town this way with a large amount of Pokémon. When I was running, I was trying to get to there."

Brooke heard the crackling of electricity in the distance. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

Brooke and Jay saw that farther past their current location, there had been a flashing, yellow light that lit up the forest for about five seconds. Brooke and Jay were forced to shield their eyes from the illumination, and when they took their paws away, the flying came back again.

"What?" Brooke noted as she shook uneasily. "They're coming back!"

"No, they're on the run," stated a nearby Furret than had climbed out from her nest. "That town down there has been demanding Pokémon, strong ones, to come there ever since the news five days ago about Mt. Silver reached this area. This area has weak native Pokémon, and there is fear that those Pokémon have plans to overtake the region. So everyone decided to attempt to end their resistance early."

Brooke exchanged glances with Jay as a hoard of flying Pokémon took to the skies, their forms visible in the gaps between the leafy trees. "Why didn't we get this information?" Jay murmured.

"Because we were too busy searching for your Razor Claw. I'm surprised you heeded that the town was up this way." Brook crossed her arms, annoyed at Jay.

Jay puffed out air, and the Furret continued. "The attack was just to survey the area and assess our strengths and defenses. We only expect worse to come after this."

Jay eyed the Furret suspiciously. An average forest Pokémon, and especially one of the Normal-Type, wouldn't be that intelligent. "Who told you this?"

"The town's commander. But he's…"

Brooke interrupted the distracted Furret before she rambled on more. "There are other Pokémon in the forest that need help. We should go to the town; we can't tend to them by ourselves."

Jay and the Furret agreed silently, and the newly formed trio scrambled to the town that was located a few minutes away from their current location. "I think my family reached the town," the Furret stated. "By the way, my name's Lily."

"Nice to meet you, Lily. I'm Brooke and this is Jay," Brooke mentioned between exasperated breaths. Jay on the other hand, remained silent, only focused on the one task on his mind, which was getting to the village. At that point of their brisk run, the group was able to perceive the town. From their position, Jay viewed a large array of hastily-built shelters composed of rocks and mounds of leaves intertwined with branches of trees. The Pokémon's structures were accompanied along with some ruins from human dwellings, and small fires were burning in the town so that any Pokémon not accustomed to the darkness could see. Jay saw several stocky and massive Pokémon walking about, and a few of them approached the incoming threesome that were marching their way.

A large yellow Pokémon that resembled an upright giraffe, an Ampharos, hurried towards the group and inquired kindly, "Do you need help?"

The three Pokémon gasped for air, pausing for a minute after their trotting through the spring greenery. Jay was the first to shake his head and then speak. "No, not us, but the others are hurt all over in the forest. They need help."

The large Ampharos expected this conflict, and he acknowledged Jay's statement. The yellow Electric Pokémon lead the three into the village, gave orders to those within the town, and a mass accumulation of various speedy Pokémon such as Flying-Types and those Electric-Types that ceased the attack entered the forest, searching every nook and cranny for those injured.

Lily had parted ways with Jay and Brooke, for she was eager to find her family in the town. Luckily, she discovered that she had found all her children, untouched, a few moments later. She appeared relieved as Jay and Brooke watched at a distance at their reunion. Eventually, Jay pulled his gaze from the scene as the Ampharos led the duo over to a crudely made fire pit which contained a crackling, smoky fire that was burning what appeared to be rather damp twigs and tree limbs. The yellow Pokémon mentioned that the two should remain there for the night, for he realized that they were clearly exhausted. The two flopped down onto the cool grass, finally able to relax after an action-packed night. Jay, however, wanted some answers on what had happened. The Ampharos remained standing before them, as if he expected the two to ask him something. Jay took up the opportunity to talk in case the Pokémon desired to leave.

"Excuse me, commander," Jay began awkwardly, not knowing how to address the strong Pokémon before him. "Is it true that Mt. Silver has been surpassed?"

The commander's face expressed he was stressed and distraught. "I'm afraid so."

Jay immediately felt concern for his family. Were they all right? While he was far away from his home, searching for one item, his family may have decimated in the conflict. He pushed his negative thoughts away before continuing.

"Commander, what towns lie up north? I'm a refugee from Mt. Silver, and I want to help in the resisting effort. We've been searching a while for a magically-infused talon called a Razor Claw."

"Is that your means of evolution? I've seen others of your species ask the same."

"Yes, I evolve by that item and I believe in the remains of the human towns that I might find it, and hopefully before the enemy does. What town do you think we should go to?"

The Ampharos nodded in understanding. "Up north, I know of three towns. One has buildings of purple roofs. It's almost directly north of here. Some of the city remains, however, most of it has degraded into rubble."

The pair knew of that town. Yet, judging by the commander, it was pillaged already. Nevertheless, it was still worth exploring. "The others…" Jay demanded, grasping for information.

"One is slightly to the northeast and it's rather small. It was known as Mahogany, if I recall from the times of humans. The third is northwest of the purple town, and it has one very tall tower. Surprisingly, I heard the place is rather intact compared to other human towns. In that city, not many outside Pokémon think of entering it. I highly advise you don't go there…"

Jay ignored the commander's last sentence. "So does that mean it may contain what we need?"

Ampharos nodded curtly. "But the problem is…"

Jay squealed childishly, disturbing the Ampharos's words. It took a hefty nudge from Brooke to prevent Jay from cutting off the Ampharos again. "Let him speak," Brooke hissed.

"The town is populated by Ghost Pokémon. I recommend you stay away from that place… the ghosts are very protective of it."

Brooke immediately denied going into the specter-infested town. The stories that her parents told her about such Pokémon were downright disturbing. She would prefer to keep her soul. "Jay, don't think about it. I'm not going in there."

Brooke addressed the commander. "Would you enter it?"

"No," the large Pokémon replied.

Brooke carried on, since she couldn't help but question, "Why would Pokémon be so protective of a human town? They carry no sentimental value with it."

The wiser Pokémon negated Brooke's theory. "Yes they do. Some of the Pokémon once belonged to humans, you have to remember. As like in the violet town up north, Flying-Type Pokémon dominate it, albeit they are a bit more compassionate."

Jay uttered quietly, "Why?"

"Humans…" the Ampharos tried to explain to the best of his ability, "had these strange tournaments in almost each town. I never understood the purpose of them. I most likely will never figure it out, either."

Brooke yawned, for her fatigue finally began to soak in. "Well, thank you for the information, commander. Now we know where to go…" Brooke turned her head to her sleepy friend besides her, "and where to keep away from."

The Ampharos acknowledged her friendly words before he left the two so he could attain to other matters. Brooke suddenly picked a harsh warning to say to her friend. "Jay, I swear, if you're thinking of going to that ghost-infiltrated city, you're mad."

Jay lay on the ground, paying no attention to his friend's assessments. She knew he wanted to go there… plus, as a Dark-Type Pokémon, he wasn't scared of ghosts. If need be, he could enter that creepy city alone. As his eyelids fell shut, he simply responded, "We'll head for the purple town tomorrow. We can fine-tune our battling experience there. We need it anyway."

The comment seemed to satisfy Brooke for the time being. Soon enough, Jay felt Brooke brush up against his body, and the couple were overcome with sleep, the crackling fire near them dying out in the refreshing night air.


	3. Chapter 3

Abandoning the safety of the Pokémon village after their morning meal, Jay and Brooke paced themselves, remaining attentive as they traveled northbound. They had their eyes peeled for any suspicious individuals provided the ambush the former night. The two had yet to receive defined answers for the general disruption of the entire region, and it was becoming an earnest matter.

Jay and Brooke carried on through the cool, humid morning forest, eager to find the town of violet. The weather decided to give them a break, for the azure sky was spotless, though a few cumulus clouds hung about in the atmosphere. They knew they were getting close to the urban area when both travelers began to visualize many Flying-Type Pokémon eyeing them from aloof branches in the trees outside the city, but the couple tried to ignore the locals and focus on the task at hand.

At their arrival, the twosome were greeted with a similar scene that they had witnessed in Cherrygrove. In the southern portion of the city that the two could distinguish, Jay and Brooke saw fallen buildings scattered about, the crumbling structures spilling onto the asphalt streets. Weeds forced themselves through the numerous cracks anywhere where rubble was not present on the long since utilized roadways.

The two recognized that the buildings' roofs were certainly purple as the pair explored the southern streets of the city, since most the dwellings had toppled over long ago. Rusted, twisted metal, splintered wood, disheveled concrete, and broken glass lay strewn about the city's streets, which caused the duo to cautiously watch their steps, for they did not wish to acquire an injury by traveling in the settlement. The Flying Pokémon followed the outsiders, wary of the voyagers' presences in the town they controlled.

"Don't try anything stupid," Brooke uttered as they gingerly stepped over the abandoned shells of cars as Jay peered inside the rusted machines. "The locals are very cautious."

Jay hardly heard his friend's words as he climbed through a car's shattered windshield. He searched the front compartments before he attempted to move past a piece of moldering upholstery within the car to reach the back area. Brooke stood on the hood of the car as Jay poked around the interior. She knew her friend had a profound interest with the contraptions, for neither she nor Jay knew what their purposes were for. A building was used as a shelter, and the two knew that. As for the automobiles, they had no clues. To Brooke, they seemed to be mobile shelters that the humans had used. The devices were littered about the area in disarray on the particular street they were roaming.

Jay began to scout around in the back seats. He found spherical figures tinted half red and half white with a black seal between the two colors positioned behind the driver's seat on the floor. Jay had seen such items before. Jay clasped the agape things closed, and he then popped them open again by pressing a circular button located on the seal. He wondered what had been held within, for the device appeared dirty and worn. Exposure to the elements may have degraded them, particularly due to the fact that all the windows in the vehicle were blown out. "This place is teeming with interesting things! I wonder how it would be in the place up north!"

Brooke's heart skipped a beat. She told Jay she wasn't going to the place up north with the tower. He would be insane to, and judging by how the locals in the purple city perceived the two, it easily was far worse. "No, Jay. I told you that we weren't going there. Right now, even these bird Pokémon will destroy us if we screw around with them."

Jay looked over the front seats to Brooke, who was still stationed on the peeling silver hood of the vehicle. "No, I didn't mean that," Jay lied, "I only meant that _if_ we were going there."

Brooke breathed out a sigh as she gazed at the remnants of the human city before her. She had a gnawing sensation that her naïve friend would go to the city somehow.

"Whoa, Brooke, take a look at this!"

Brooke turned to view that Jay held a long bone in his paws. He peered over it as if it was some miraculous specimen. Jay turned his head back to the passenger's side of the car. "There's even more! I bet these are human bones."

"A human's?" Brooke inquired. To think a human died in the very car she was on disturbed her slightly.

"Well, it's dead, thankfully. Dead humans will never bother me. I'm just wondering why only some of bones are here. Probably something took a portion of the corpse away after the human's death…."

Brooke's mind involuntarily formed a nauseating mental image. A Pokémon picking at the flesh of a human was less than appropriate, especially since she would have to eat relatively soon. Considering all the bird Pokémon that dwelled in the area, the culprits were evident.

"Let's carry on," Brooke stated as she thought about the scavengers in the proximity.

* * *

Several hours later, the sun was positioned at a lower angle in the west, and everything standing casted lengthening shadows. Night would begin within a few hours. The locals remained observant of their visitors as they hovered from ruined structure to another, trying to attain a decent view of their locations. Brooke had been pushing Jay towards the northeastern part of the city, for she recalled the words of the commander stating the village with the tower was to the northwest of the purple town.

Eventually, the duo made their way into a large, open area of the city, and before them was a worn, wooden bridge partially broken in several areas of its length, clearly rotting from being subjected to the environment. The bridge was nestled on top of a large body of calm water. The path the bridge made led to a small tower quite a distance away. The building was three stories tall, and immediately Brooke pondered about the haunted city's tower that the Ampharos had noted. She wondered just how high the other city's tower was in comparison to the one several hundred feet from her whereabouts.

"I wonder what's over in there," Jay proclaimed happily. "The building seems totally intact! It appears like the northeastern sector of the city was spared of some of the destruction."

"And how are you getting over there? You can't swim, and I wouldn't trust the bridge." Brooke peered over to her friend, whose face smugly glanced at hers. "I'm not being a lifeguard either."

"We'll go around then!"

"Jay, doing that will take us until nightfall. I'm not interested in staying here when dusk comes. Plus, the birds here… don't seem to approve of that…."

Jay turned to the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun's blinding rays with his forearm. The birds in the sky were circling over the duo as if they were vultures. Not just a few were doing the action either, for dozens of Spearow, Pidgey, and a few invasive birds like Taillow, Starly, and Fletchling soared overhead. It seemed to be a signal of some sort, like a red flag had been risen amongst the airborne Pokémon.

Out of the corner of Brooke's eye, she saw a bright shimmer flash off something gleaming from the brilliance of the sun's light. The unknown possessor levitated at an aloft point in the sky. She turned due east, the glimmering continuing, and then she realized whatever the source of the shine was had been moving, and doing so rapidly. It had to be a Pokémon. It came closer, and Brooke acknowledged just what the Pokémon was. It was a Skarmory, a relatively large bird Pokémon in respect to the small statures of Brooke and Jay, with an iron body and red feathers underneath its steel wings. Brooke assumed it found her and Jay to be intruders.

Jay was still distracted at the others above them, so Brooke had to pull her friend's attention away from the tiny birds and avert his gaze to the sleek, swift Skarmory approaching the two. It began to slow down in preparation to greet the two, and the couple on the ground felt a wave of relief wash over their forms, for it seemed to intend to come off as peaceful.

The other smaller birds dispersed, but they settled to rest on a few buildings standing a short location away from the clearing. The female Skarmory came to land upon the ground lightly, avoiding the debris and ruins from the human decrepitude about the open area. Her yellow eyes assessed the other Pokémon acutely before her, and she mentioned harshly, "So, you plan for a helping of our eggs at the Sprout Tower, Sneasel?"

Jay shook his head instantaneously. He had never thought about that fact- he did eat bird Pokémon eggs, but only a foolish, brainless Sneasel or Weavile would attempt to find a meal in a town filled thousands of with speedy, agile birds. "We're only looking for an item. We're not here for food."

She stared at him critically. "But you're tempted to eat our eggs. I bet you're hungry."

Neither Brooke nor Jay was in the mood for a brawl. They were outnumbered, beginning to tire, and their stomachs were, in fact, demanding to be filled. They found themselves in an unfavorable situation, and Jay felt he was at fault. He sensed he was the one obligated to get he and Brooke out of their predicament.

"Here," he began strongly, trying to hide his anxiety as he glanced to Brooke. She put on a complexion as to indicate that Jay should select what he was about to say wisely.

He began with his worn-out story of traveling around the Johto region to seek a Razor Claw. He continued on about their efforts to support the resistance, and finally he mentioned about Mahogany as being the town they would journey to next.

"Mahogany?" The steel bird smirked as she kicked at some rotting wood laying on the ground. She shook her head; she suspected the two Pokémon before her didn't know much about the details of past affairs. "It's a decimated place. I recall…Morty wasn't quick enough to tell Pryce about his vision. The humans there were in peril when the opposition arrived at the town…."

Jay and Brooke were befallen with stupefaction. They didn't know the names of the two that Skarmory revealed or their importance.

Skarmory glimpsed at the Marill and Sneasel, both of whom were absolutely confounded. She confirmed her proposition and hastily concluded they weren't alive during the human war, nor could they have had a human trainer like she did. She was stricken with a harsh idea.

"Ecruteak City was saved from most of the destruction," the Skarmory pronounced. "It's mostly intact."

All the foreign words the Skarmory had being expressing seemed like human's speech to the duo. Brooke was first to question the Skarmory about the situation. "That's the place with the tower… and the ghosts, right?"

Skarmory felt a twinge of agitation. She hadn't expected the two young Pokémon to know that much. They had some information, however, and it must have come from another knowledgeable Pokémon. She decided the two may become apprehensive of her intentions if she asked who they obtained the information from. Instead, she sugar-coated the ordeal.

"Yes, there are some ghosts up in that city… but many tend to over exaggerate the amount." She racked her brains for an additional, yet false, reason. "Most are rather weak, at best."

The words she interjected pleased Jay. Brooke, on the other hand, recollected on the commander's words from the previous day. The respected Ampharos mentioned that the pair shouldn't go there. He even stated he wouldn't go within… so who was telling the truth?

Jay's stomach required something in it, and he would soon find any eggs in the city appetizing. He also wanted to talk to Brooke about where they should go next and what they should do. "Well, thank you for that information. We plan to continue where we were originally headed."

"Very well," the Skarmory announced. "Don't forget my advice. Please consider it."

Jay and Brooke nodded, and they felt the Skarmory's eyes fixated on them as they both began to walk into the forested areas around the lake. Eventually, when the Skarmory saw they were well out of her view, she couldn't help but shriek out a chuckle. Ecruteak City was an eerie, unpredictable place. Going there could be fatal if they made the wrong gestures, and most Pokémon did from their frightened conditions.

Most of all, she giggled at the fact that, on her very feet, existed sharp talons, impeccably dubbed Razor Claws...


	4. Chapter 4

Nightfall had come. Darkness lingered over the gloomy, black sky as multiple clouds began to invade from the north, signaling a storm was soon to blow in. Meanwhile, Brooke chomped upon berries, and Jay found a few eggs to feast upon. They were located a considerable distance away from the violet city, so Jay determined that he was safe to consume some eggs from a bird Pokémon's nest. Although he was devouring potential offspring, the world worked that way- one was either the prey or the predator.

The two were stationed in Jay's favorite sanctuary- a sturdy, leafy tree with thick branches that he made sure supported the weight of him and his friend. A slight, cool wind had picked up, blowing the sweet scent of rain into the forest. Jay estimated he wasn't far off from the Mahogany town, and that he was close to the specter city of Ecruteak. His nocturnal vision allowed him to perceive a tall tower beyond the trees. His heart leapt at the sight, but if he told Brooke, she would assume that he had plans to visit the city. She would do anything in her power to protect his welfare; if he died, she couldn't navigate like Jay was able to, and without his sense of direction, she would be utterly lost.

Finishing the remaining egg that he had collected, Jay breathed out a fatigued sigh and proceeded to pat his stomach. The meal was direly needed for the two of them. Brooke failed to visualize anything but mere outlines of the objects around her; she was sure that a few berries had bolted from her grasp while she was consuming them.

Jay interrupted the long reign of tranquility. "Brooke, do you think what that Skarmory said was true? I mean, the more I think about it… I believe no one truly knows what's going on in Ecruteak."

Brook leaned against the center of the tree, staring at her friend's figure extended on the branch diagonal to the one she was standing on. She felt that an extensive period of sleep was going to be necessary for her soon. "No, I don't believe her, Jay. I still heed the commander's words. He's been right so far."

Jay stretched out on his limb, lying on his backside to stare into the infinite blackness that was the sky between the gaps in the tree's branches and leaves. "Yes, he has… but not one Pokémon that we questioned about that place ever says that they've been within the city limits."

Brooke felt fretfulness slowly gnawing within her. Her friend sounded less ambitious to visit the town than before, perhaps due to his current exhaustion, but instead his curiosity was blazing. She sometimes wished that Jay would learn the danger of thirsting for answers before Brooke ended up with a deceased companion.

"Jay, don't get any ideas, especially during this time. A large amount of mischief occurs at night in the cities. My parents always declared that it is unwise to stroll into a city at night."

Imperceptible to Brooke, Jay's mouth formed a confident smile. "I can't help but wonder, Brooke." He relaxed upon the branch, drawing in a prolonged yawn.

Brooke began to gingerly feel for a broad area of branch where she was comfortable and wasn't in danger of tumbling off the limb. Her tiredness was apparent, for her eyelids were sinking. "I'm going to sleep, Jay."

"All right," he mentioned, feeling his own weariness weighing upon him. "Sleep well."

* * *

Jay had misjudged the timing of the coming storm before he succumbed to sleep. Now it was early morning, only an hour or so after midnight, and rain had begun to pour down upon him in sheets. The leaves of the nearby trees didn't aid in the situation; they accumulated water until the point that it fell in heavy, large drops onto Jay's bare forehead. He would have picked a less exposed location to sleep if he had known that the storm was going to arrive this early in the morning.

Brooke remained asleep as Jay groggily shifted to peer down at her calmly sleeping, propped up against the center of the tree's trunk, her body sleek from the heavy rain. Being the water Pokémon she was, a drenching rain would only be soothing to her sleep; she would not move until daybreak, especially since she had exercised extensively the day prior.

Jay silently cursed the weather as he sat up on the branch, recognizing that the water had drenched his fur entirely, making him feel ten pounds heavier. He could not vision going back to sleep in this state, even if he had found a dry area to sleep. With the high humidity, his teal pelt would refuse to dry out until the moisture level declined- and he couldn't surmise the timing of that.

He returned his gaze to his blue friend, hearing her gentle snoring barely above the clamor of the downpour. He gradually turned his head to view the surrounding area before him for a few minutes. No other being stirred in the proximity amidst the warm rain and brief gusts of wind. Rain continued to bombard Jay, and it was intolerable to a Pokémon that preferred cold snow, sleet, and hail. Looking due east, he saw Ecruteak's large tower a short distance away. It was a shelter, a refuge beckoning him to be out of the miserable rain. Jay, who resided in a time of discomfort and a lack of resistance from his friend, found his opportunity to do as what he had intended to do- explore the city of Ecruteak.

* * *

With little regards for his friend's safety, Jay mindlessly trailed his way towards the city, following a worn, unkempt road enveloped around a forest, the occasional cars littered about in a cluttered mess. However, the alluring contraptions failed to arouse Jay's interests at the time present. In the distance, he saw the city of Ecruteak, and not just the tower, he noticed other shorter buildings. As so many Pokémon had stated, they were intact for the most part. The human war seemed to have skipped the city in question, but the environment had been doing its part on the civilization ever since the humans left. Some windows were shattered or missing from the homes in the town, the colors of their siding were faded from the sun bleaching them for decades, and Jay bet most of the houses suffered from leaky roofs and water damage, but they were still standing there boldly, a mostly preserved portion of the past.

However, the most notable and iconic aspect about the city was eluding him. The fabled ghosts were absent, or so it seemed. He had about a hundred more paces until he met the first dwelling, so perhaps they were merely waiting for him to enter their territory. Once Jay happened upon the first building on the street he voyaged on, he wasn't encountered with the ghost Pokémon, but Jay affirmed he had an increasing amount of invisible eyes that were growing wary of his presence. Nonchalant, Jay disregarded his unseen company for the time being.

The rain had declined slightly, and the wind blew less sharply than before. A peculiar force existed in this city's air- and Jay couldn't distinguish whether it was friendly or harmful. Ruined and rusting shells of cars became less numerous on the city's streets as his head glanced from left to right. Each building possessed a similar flair to that of the Sprout tower or the tower in the very village in which he journeyed through. The city's peaceful, uniform feel made him more uneasy than his knowledge of the ghost Pokémon haunting it.

Jay turned northbound towards a street relatively deficient of any motor vehicles. The only untidiness about the road was the molding leaf litter, the accumulation stacking up from previous years. Hadn't he gone to this city to search for a Razor Claw? The homes accompanied by untidy foliage and trees mutely remained present on both sides of the roadway, and their possible treasures were beyond Jay's imagination. Yet, was a Razor Claw a random item to be found, sitting quietly on the floor within an abandoned human dwelling? Even if he sought to investigate the structures of Ecruteak City, he felt unworthy to intrude into buildings- he purely felt unwelcome just by strolling on the roads. The city just felt too preserved… too _safeguarded_ to risk being upset, even faintly, by his two paws. He continued to venture throughout the city's sector that primarily held its common residents. On all the streets he had trekked across, the same veil against disturbance remained on every roadway he walked upon.

Meanwhile, the abundant Ghosts were observing Jay's slightest movements, delaying for him to tire. The Ghosts fathomed that a lone Sneasel wasn't worth pummeling with attacks unless he did something catastrophic. The blank expression on his face suggested the teal Pokémon barely held onto consciousness. One way that he could acquire his bearings was if _someone_ kindly pointed him in the right direction. However, the specters playfully toyed with their subject, and unbeknownst to Jay, he did not realize the ghosts' influence over him.

The rain proceeded to continue its monotonous drawl against the leaf covered pavement. Jay slowed his movement on the street until he came to a halt, debating the wisdom of his previous and current procedures. His family may be dying at this very moment, and to scour every city thoroughly and profusely for his beloved Razor Claw would take months, perhaps years. No Pokémon living on Mt. Silver- or in Johto for that matter- had time for what Jay was doing. The Kanto invasion was imminent and real, and in a month's time the life he may have could be extensively different from the one he possessed now. He pondered, immobile, his teal fur and pink feathers dripping with rain, if there was any easier methods to obtain a Razor Claw. There ought to be, since wondering in hazardous cities wasn't the correct answer.

Jay felt the gravity of his dilemma burdening him. He concluded that the impulsive visit to this city was one of the poorest decisions he had ever made. A sole Pokémon, the type unimportant, could never handle an army of ghosts, even if that Pokémon was profoundly skilled and intelligent. Jay was neither. He felt that ever since his awakening by the rain, his mind had been separate from his body, like he sleepwalked all the way to Ecruteak City. He felt lost without his companion, who was alone in a tree, vulnerable to a nighttime predator. He sensed the urge to flee the eerie place before any ghosts within threatened to overwhelm him. Jay recalled being a brilliant navigator for both his clan and for traveling with Brooke, but all aspects of navigation had slipped from Jay's mind in his exhausted stupor. He hadn't noted how many streets he turned on to or the direction he turned. He just stood there, a weak, water-logged Pokémon, lost in the worst place possible.

Unnatural chills crept and sank further into Jay's being the longer he remained in the city. He heard occasional laughter, perhaps belonging to the ghosts, boisterous at the fact that he was so imprudent for entering the city. Occasionally, flashes of mobile figures danced in the corners of his eyes, impossible for him to ignore. As he began walking aimlessly again, a shrill cry pierced his ears as he passed a small, one story abode traditionally styled like a pagoda, as like the other homes in the city. Bellowing amusement followed from widespread voices as he squealed out a frantic exclamation.

He sprinted away, eager for a savior to emerge and seize him from the hellish city before he lost the rest of his composure. Scrambling briskly to flee the savage laughter, Jay had ceased his running after unwittingly tripping over an irregular shaped object amongst the leaves which obscured what had been a sidewalk. Once he regained a small fraction of his strength, not to mention his willpower, he heaved his figure up from the wet leaves. He discovered a human-built stage erected near a three way intersection directly in front of him. The structure was settled back from the road in a large, overgrown grassy area, and it appeared as if it was prepared for a public show moments before the humans left. The stage was large, made of decaying, peeling white wood, and temporary seating had been positioned before the covered arena. Presently, most of the plastic chairs had disappeared, or they were scattered some feet to a quarter mile away from their old positions, one of which Jay happened to have stumbled upon after his dash away from the shrill yelp of terror. Jay wasn't concerned with the construction or the seating arrangements. Instead, it was what he viewed on the stage that captured his interest entirely. Directly in the middle of the oblong semi-circular area, a figure of about five and a half feet stood there, the head topped with sleek black substance, and the body was covered in a blue cloth extending down to the wooden stage. Soon enough it began to twist to the haphazardly strewn assemblage of unoccupied chairs elegantly, and Jay watched as the arms of the figure gracefully began their movements. Jay's full attention remained on the figure until a gust of chilling wind disoriented him for a moment. He glanced to both sides, peered once back towards the stage, and he saw as the figure walked off the stage's right side stairs, slowly fading away until he could see the apparition no more.

Jay blinked inattentively for a few moments towards the phantom's last known whereabouts. He pulled his gaze away as he spiraled left, walking hastily down the street in an insecure, trembling fear. Unless a Ghost Pokémon had managed to craft an excellent representation of what he just had seen, Jay affirmed the specter was indeed a human's. In a city of ghosts, Jay, as well as every other Pokémon that mentioned Ecruteak City, had either disregarded in believing the existence of human ghosts or they simply didn't know they resided here also. The prospect made sense- if there were ghosts of Pokémon, there would be phantoms of humans.

Yet most Pokémon without close bonds to humans often believed that humans did not possess souls. With the spirit that Jay just witnessed, it appeared that the proclamation some believed had been negated. Perhaps the old assertion seemed plausible, considering the state the human's world had come to, which was only utter destruction. However, Ecruteak City seemed to be the only location spared, and Jay couldn't understand why that was so. The strangest part of the whole matter was not one Pokémon of the Ghost-Type revealed itself to Jay yet. Nevertheless, the city was well-known for overprotective ghosts that would not go out of their way to avoid harming, and then proceeding to kill Pokémon. If they were territorial, they would have attacked Jay long ago, so what were these ghosts that kept their attention on their lonely visitor defending? What actions would render the hidden beings hostile?

Jay had become worried of sparking the fuse that would make the Pokémon in the city aggressive. Jay just wanted out of the city before he made saw more human phantasms, heard more unnatural sounds, or made any fatal gestures, for he no longer wanted to go searching for any item in any city.

Slowing down his pace to a walk in the diminishing rain, heading what he presumed was southbound, Jay halted at a four-way intersection, deeming whether to continue south or go eastward. As if attending to the predicament that Jay had been snared in, a clear voice broke through the silence, causing the miserable Pokémon to jump out of his skin.

"Are you lost?"


End file.
